Sunday, July 20, 2008

Just when you thought the Lightning had packed it in for the decade, they show why they're able to consistently rise to the top of the Southeast Division. With appealing new owners calling some pretty aggressive shots, no front office has been busier than Tampa's. Take a deep breath and look at all the movement so far as we approach the middle of July:

Dizzying, isn't it? The overhaul is so thorough that we can safely discard the Lightning's '07-'08 season as any kind of indicator of their fortunes for the upcoming season. They'll be a fundamentally different team, and not a bad one at that.

The real genius in this plan, though, is that they're not sacrificing the future in order to sell tickets in the present. Of the list of draft picks they gave up, it doesn't appear the Lightning will lose a major future player. Losing Brad Boyle hurts a bit, but San Jose's first-round pick might ease the pain. And most importantly, the signing of castaways like Recchi and Roberts will only be significant for this year -- the Lightning did very well in signing surefire contributors like Lecavalier and Malone to longer contracts while limiting the tenure of declining players.

What does it all mean? It means the Lightning are now stable in goal, fairly deep at all forward positions, and loaded with grit... pretty much everything they weren't last season. This is a playoff-quality roster, which means more money in hand for the owners -- and more commitment by fans and sponsors to stick with a team which suddenly has a pretty rosy long-term outlook. There will be a bit of turnover as the short-term contracts expire and prospects rise through the ranks (though the Lightning are known for having a weak farm system). But by the time Stamkos arrives as a 22-year-old superstar and Mike Smith becomes an All-Star fixture, the Lightning will likely have maneuvered their way into "contender" status for the long-term. It's a page right out of the Detroit Red Wings Guide to Winning Every Year.